AS 2011 comes to a close, with its Arab spring revolutions, the Horn of Africa famine and the world economic meltdown, 2012 must and will be a significant year for the African continent and a great opportunity for its agricultural sector.

"Everything you know about African agriculture is wrong," Ralph Van Kaufmann, UniBrain Coordinatorand speaker at the AgriBusiness Forum 2011, held in Johannesburg in October, announced. "It is not doing badly: food production per head may have decreased, but total productivity is improving," he said, adding, "It needs to increase further, and post harvest losses reduced, but for that to happen, the private sector needs to get involved."

There is a general consensus that Africa's average growth is expected to accelerate to 5.8 percent in 2012, with agriculture an essential component of this foreseen growth. This vision was further supported when world leaders during the G20 summit in November 2011 announced a multi-year action plan to address food security and new investments in boosting agricultural productivity in the developing world.

There is, therefore, a lot to be achieved in 2012 and the years to come. Next year will be a year to ensure that inroads are made to bring small-scale farmers into the larger global food industry. For this to happen, infrastructure and financing need to be made available to the continent's rural communities.

A significant drive to establish Africa's vast young population as part of this increased agricultural development will also be seen in 2012. There is a large young population in Africa which in the past has been seen as a burden but today is seen as a pool of potential, especially in the agricultural sector.

"Given support and the opportunity of employment, young people have the potential to play a significant role in rural development." According to the International Labor Organization, GDP in sub-Saharan Africa would rise by 12-19 percent if young people were employed in productive work. "Current events show the energy, creativity and power of young people, and also the importance of ensuring that they can see a future for themselves in the societies in which they live," said Kofi Annan at the recent annual meeting of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

The youth is there and the funds, contrary to many people's beliefs, are available. The Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF) currently supports 87 projects in 17 countries across Africa, benefiting an estimated 3 million people in rural areas. Focus areas are agribusiness, rural finance services, renewable energy and adaptation to climate change. The fund was launched in June 2008 with a start-up capital of $35 million, which has now grown to $150 million.

There is a concerted drive to ensure that rhetoric turns into action and changes need to be seen on the ground. Real valuable and progressive change is possible, India being the prime example. According to Bangali Baboo, National Director of the National Agricultural Innovation Project (NAIP) of the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR), "the success of India's Green Revolution shows that it is possible to significantly increase food production in a matter of a few decades." ICAR played a fundamental role in this regard, through its research and technology development that has resulted in a 4-fold increase of the production of food grains.

Rice is another example where Africa can play a growing and important role in the year and years to come. As part of a global program on rice science that has laid out concrete and quantifiable key impacts to benefit the poor, the hungry, and the environment in the next 25 years, rice experts in Africa have adopted a more interdisciplinary and product-oriented approach in order to deliver greater development impacts. The innovative program known as the Global Rice Science Partnership (GRiSP) aims to mobilize the very best of the world's rice science and involve the widest range of stakeholders possible in the technology generation and dissemination process to address, among others, Africa's major rice development challenges.

All these innovative ideas, projections and funds are important but the question still beckons: what will really happen in 2012? Well, the answer is simple - the world will continue to ensure that investment is funneled to the right channels within Africa's agricultural sector, so that the continent's agricultural potential is achieved. Additionally, more private investment and companies will focus their money and strategies within Africa.

There is a lot to be achieved in agriculture and 2012 will be another significant year for Africa's agricultural development and growth. Will Africa rise and show all its business potential and attract the right investments? Let's all work together to ensure that the answer is yes.

The writer is Communications Manager of EMRC – an internationally renowned organization providing a platform for Africa's private and public sector to come together - www.emrc.be